Along with Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Myanmar, Java’s Borobudur makes the rest of Southeast Asia’s spectacular sites seem almost incidental. Looming out of a patchwork of bottle-green paddies and swaying palms, this colossal Buddhist monument has survived volcanic eruptions, terrorist bombs and an earthquake to remain as enigmatic and as beautiful as it must have been 1200 years ago. From a distance … Continue reading Borobudur – A wonder of the world

It is difficult to get our heads around the denominations of their currency. For instance an average lunch for 2 costs 100,000 Indonesian Rupiah. Our first thought is, Whaaaaat??? Then laugh when we realize it is only $8 US Dollars. The Holland America cruise Part II took us through 8 different locations in Indonesia. Two are famous: Borobudur and Bali, which are so photogenic they … Continue reading Cruising Indonesia

A Buddha face in the tree roots, located at Ayutthaya, is such an interesting and stunning piece of history to see. It is no wonder this is an iconic image, the whole area is beautiful but this particular image is quite moving, to think that despite the tress growing around the head it can still be seen and the tree appears to be cradling it. … Continue reading UNESCO Heritage Site north of Bangkok

Trip Report, Part Deux . . . . . We embarked on another Dam ship (Holland America Volendam) for a 28 day journey, down the coast of Vietnam, quickly in and out of Thailand, and Singapore, then another 2 weeks in Indonesia. Here is what we saw in Vietnam . . . In northern Vietnam, Halong Bay is a collection of some 1,600 limestone monoliths … Continue reading Cruising Vietnam

That is what we were called in Thailand. In Myanmar, our guide asked us to be his parents in his next life. The Thai people always greet you with a smile and “Sà wàtdii ka” from a woman and “Sà wàtdii kap” from a man with their hands together in front of them with a bow. You return the same and the smile gets bigger. … Continue reading Momma and Poppa

As I entered the wide expanse of Inle Lake at the end of a narrow feeder channel, two fishermen appeared performing what I could best make out as a slow-motion, over-the-water ballet with oars for props—all while balanced on the bows of their boats. It was absolutely enthralling. Life on the shallow, 13.5-mile freshwater lake is utterly captivating: With no roads or sidewalks to speak … Continue reading Inle Lake and ending in Yangon Myanmar

A sunny morning’s float down the Irrawaddy River is good for many things: letting your face bask in the sunshine, visiting with other guests whilst drinking tea; watching river life; or traveling up river to the town of Mingun. In Mingun, we photographed the local ice cream man on his bicycle and visited an assisted living facility for the elderly. Pagodas are everywhere in Myanmar. … Continue reading Mandalay Myanmar

Pagodas of Pagan – Established on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River, Pagan was a great capital and wealthy trading port while Europe was still in the Dark Ages. It was already a sizable metropolis in the 9th century, when it was inhabited by tribes who had migrated to the area in preceding centuries. In A.D. 1057, King Anawrahta defeated the Mon Kingdom to … Continue reading Finding our inner Indiana Jones

Few travel experiences compare with flying over Bagan in a hot air balloon. With over 2,200 temples and pagodas, there is no better way to take in the incredible history spread across the plains of Bagan. The layers of wind push us past Buddhist monuments built between the 10th and 14th centuries; the spires of thousands of pagodas spread in the distance and the Irrawaddy … Continue reading Balloons over Bagan – Myanmar

Our European journey began on August 1, flying from Atlanta to Moscow. On October 30 we embarked on a transatlantic cruise arriving in Tampa on November 13. We boarded the ship with all our luggage and our two kids, our two e-bikes that we purchased in Germany. Today while visiting our final port (Funchal, Maderia, Portugal) in the EU, we got the necessary form stamped … Continue reading Transatlantic Crossing

For two weeks we enjoyed the manic of Barcelona. We attended concerts, rode bikes by the beach, ate tapas and drank Sangria. We lived in an apartment in one of the residential neighborhoods and tried to blend in. The Castilian people are vying for a new European country of Catalonia, and you see their patriotism hanging from balconies. The locals hold folk dancing every Friday … Continue reading Barcelona Spain area highlights

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike” – John F Kennedy One day, we learned about electric bikes and it made all the difference. In Santiago, Chile we rented our first electric bike and toured the city — loved it, and with the assistance of that electric motor you could conquer hills that would normally make your legs burn. An e-bike is … Continue reading DNKJourney Logistics

Chateaux of the Loire – Being homeless, this was a great opportunity to do some house hunting in France, fortunately for us and our budget none were for sale. These castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, when territory in France was divided among individual lords and princes. These nobles built castles to control the area immediately surrounding them, and were both offensive and … Continue reading Chateaux of the Loire

Vins de Bordeaux – Nature has been kind to Bordeaux this year. A bumper crop of grapes, a fine harvest – calculated on the lifecycle of the vine, in other words the sugar content and the ripeness of the grape skins, harvests take several days, or even weeks, depending on the size of the plots. In the Bordeaux vineyards, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are … Continue reading Vins de Bordeaux

Riviera is an Italian word for coastline. The French Riviera (Cote d’Azur) is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. It also means super yachts, villas of the rich and famous, Princess Grace, beautiful coastline, Monte Carlo Casino and Monaco. We did it all. We stayed outside the city of Antibes, 3 blocks from the Mediterranean and a half mile from a cycleway … Continue reading Cote d’Azur

Of course, when we first think of Provence, we think of lavender, sunflowers and sitting under a plane tree drinking rosé while munching on olives from the market and cooling off by the fountain. Unfortunately, the lavender and sunflowers are harvested in mid-August and we were in Provence in mid-September, but fall days are glorious in their own right, sun kissed days and walking in … Continue reading Avignon (Provence) France

Once inside the wonderful Beaune apartment, we surveyed the cabinets to make our grocery list. We found 2 coffee cups, 2 juice glasses and 6 wine glasses (2 for red, 2 for white, 2 for champagne). HONEY, I said, we must be in France! Wine (glasses) rules. Beaune is a half-hour south of Dijon and the heart of Burgundy winemaking. Home of great Chablis and … Continue reading Beaune (Burgundy) France

A lot can happen in one week. Lake Constance is bordered by three countries: Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Euro Bike Show; the everything bicycle trade show, held in the Lake Constance area is 5 convention halls of EVERYTHING bicycle. Parts, clothing, cycle trips and many manufacturers. Our goal was to meet manufacturers of electric bikes and ascertain if products purchased in Europe would be … Continue reading Planes, trains, boats, bikes and zeppelins

When Louis XIV was a small boy he lived in the Palace which today is the Louvre. He would go to the countryside with his father, and stay in a small hunting lodge. That small lodge became the basis of the Versailles Chateau. Louis XIV built this opulent palace, filled it with art, luxury and imposed glory and power on its visitors. It was built … Continue reading The Palace of Versailles

Traveling brings insight into words and history.   For example: What does “D-day” mean? Hints of the true meaning can be found long before WWII in a U.S. Army Field Order. The order stated that “The First Army will attack at H hour on D day with the object of . . . The use of D-day allows military personnel to easily plan for a … Continue reading Normandy France

On an island located less than a half a mile off the coast of Normandy, lies one of the most incredible castles the world has ever seen. Due to its uniquely strategic position, Mont Saint-Michel has survived countless monarchies and wars since its construction in the 13th century. The Romanesque abbey church was founded over a set of crypts where the rock comes to an … Continue reading Le-Mont-Saint-Michel

Paris by bike, by night, and by God, it was fantastic Our first lucky break was the location of the hotel! Staying at the Left Bank Hotel was perfect, it was 2 minutes from the metro station, and no more than 20 minutes walk to the Louvre, Notre Dame, l’Orsay and steps away from the Paris cafe scene. The hotel was one of the 5 … Continue reading Paris by Day and by night

Notre Dame, Roudin Museum, Lourve Museum: The Notre Dame is a french-gothic architectural masterpeice from the 12th century. This amazing cathedral is a visual masterpeice of stone and glass. The Notre Dame is a world renowned historical landmark in paris, literally in the heart of paris. Literally all distances from the city of paris are calculated from a bronze stone in front of the cathedral … Continue reading Three Paris Icons